The Sentry
by David Golightly
Summary: The Sentry, Marvel's Golden Guardian. His adventures are chronicled here as they appear in the fan fiction site, Marvel 2000.


**The Sentry**

"**I am a hero."**

I am Robert Reynolds. I'm a mild-mannered, easy-going kind of guy. I like tennis and Bill Cosby. I hate salad. I prefer dogs to cats. Nothing personal, I just do.

I am the Sentry. I'm one of the universe's most powerful defenders. I can bench press the planet. I stare Death in the eye. Children want to be me when they grow up. I inspire others.

I am the Void. I cause nightmares. I devastate lives. I would sooner crush your skull and take your wallet then smile at you. I don't know the meaning of the word "remorse." Pity is something you'll have to look elsewhere for.

I am a hero.

To be a hero, you have to know how to act. You have to know when to fight, and when to flee. You have to be able to put others before yourself. You have to do the right thing, no matter what.

I think about two-thirds of me can act like that.

It's not always easy. Sometimes, when I'm hovering above the landscape in my golden uniform, I think to myself, "I deserve some time off. I've saved more then my share of lives this week. Aren't I entitled to just a small vacation, even for just a few hours?"

Right about then is usually when Cloc tells me there's an earthquake in Istanbul or something.

Cloc is my super computer that keeps tabs on the world to let me know where I'm needed. I can't be everywhere at once, but with Cloc, I can do the next best thing. Cloc is my best friend…sort of. I don't really have friends. Reed Richards and I were really close once, but it's not like I can play poker with the guys every Friday when London is being held for ransom.

What if I really did take a vacation for once? What if Reed and I did play poker on Friday?

"Excuse me, sir?"

---

See, I told you.

"What is it, Cloc?"

"I am detecting a shift in the Earth's orbit being caused by changes made to Venus' magnetic field. After adjusting my scanners to account for the difference in polarity, I have determined that something is siphoning the resources of Venus, and seems to be growing."

"How big is it?"

"Right now it is approximately three centimeters by seven centimeters by five centimeters. However, its size has increased 152 in the time it took to relay this to you."

"Where on Venus is it? Atmosphere, core, surface?"

"Within the core of the planet."

The Sentry looked to the sky, toward the general direction he knew Venus to be in, and said, "I'm en route to investigate, Cloc. Please notify Reed of the situation, and send Lindy an apology for missing dinner."

The Sentry flew through the atmosphere and into the recesses of space within seconds. By encircling his body with his golden aura, he ensured his survival while in the endless vacuum. His body was resilient enough to withstand the pressures, but he still needed to breathe, and the aura solved that problem for him.

Increasing his speed, he was within view of Venus in only a few minutes. The neighboring planet looked normal, not that he really saw Venus this close all that often. It could look completely wrong, for all he knew. But nothing stuck out. There was no spark of energy being released, no crumbling of the surface, no weird aliens flying around…

Breaching the highest layer of Venus' poisonous atmosphere, Sentry swooped closer to the surface. He barely felt the heat from one of the planet's many volcanoes as he dove into it, making his way to the planet's core.

It took several minutes for him to make his way down to the core, as all the twists and turns of the lava-filled tunnels slowed his progress. Without his golden aura, even the mighty Sentry wouldn't have any hope of reaching his destination.

When he finally did break through into the molten core, the sight he saw wasn't something he had expected. He had never seen this monster with his own eyes before, but he recognized the form from the files housed by both the Avengers and the Fantastic Four.

"Terminus."

The metallic monstrosity had all ready grown to be about fifty feet tall, and turned to face Sentry as he heard his name.

"Are you another of Earth's champions?" it said.

The Sentry _felt_ Terminus' words more then heard them. He guessed that the giant destroyer had formed a mental connection between them in order to communicate within the deadly environment.

"Yes. How have you returned? Earth's heroes ended your existence years ago."

"My seed lay dormant here within this planet. It took years before it was able to make its way to this rich core. Terminus cannot be stopped. Terminus cannot be ended. Terminus is forever."

The Sentry noticed that the creature's mass was still increasing as they talked. He would have to end this soon, before it gained enough power to break free of Venus and head for his home.

"I won't let you slaughter anyone again so you can get what you want."

"It took many of you to stop me before. What makes you think it will be so easy for a small entity such as yourself? You are all alone, and I continue to pillage this planet of its resources, growing stronger."

"I'll do what I must."

With that, Sentry plunged through the molten masses surrounding him toward Terminus. He extended both fists as he flew, slamming them hard into the chest of the massive monster. Terminus let out a shriek of surprise, but only moved backwards a few feet. His metallic layer had not been pierced.

Terminus grabbed Sentry, encasing him in a giant hand, and began to squeeze. The pressure put upon the Sentry to stay alive was intense, as he pushed against the large fingers of his adversary.

Sentry's eyes began to glow a brilliant gold. He could prevent Terminus from crushing him for now, but his strength was ebbing fast. The deadly environment was taking a large toll on his aura. He would have to force the giant to release him.

The power behind the Sentry's eyes built up, eager to be released, and release it is exactly what he did. He scorched a path across the inside of Terminus' hand, causing his enemy to twitch.

With a wave of his massive fist, Terminus tossed the golden guardian through the rocky shell that housed the planet's core. The Sentry sailed upward, breaking through onto the surface. He landed with a rather painful sounding "thud" thirty feet away.

"Ouch…not what I had in mind…but I'll take it," the Sentry said, as he stood up.

When both feet were firmly set on the ground, he felt the surface vibrate. Terminus was coming up, too.

Sentry rose into the air, and quickly plummeted down to meet Terminus as he arose. Sentry didn't carry as much momentum with him as Terminus, but with his great strength, Sentry halted the monster's ascent. He hovered above Terminus, each of them reeling from the mighty impact.

As the two titans regained their bearings, Terminus spoke, "Why resist, entity? I have been defeated a dozen times, and each time, I return with a greater drive. I was thought to be obliterated, yet here I am. You cannot defeat me alone. You are strong, but I shall prevail. It is inevitable."

"A hero doesn't quit when things become difficult."

"And what if things become hopeless?"

"There is always hope."

Sentry slammed into Terminus once again, driving him slightly back down into the ground, and again, Terminus reached for the Sentry to try and crush him.

Moving more quickly then his opponent, Sentry avoided the giant fingers and flew around, clutching one from behind. He tightened his grip and heaved, pulling Terminus free from the planet. Sentry swung the behemoth around, building enough momentum so that when he released Terminus, the giant's own weight would hurt him as he struck the nearby mountain.

After the noise dissipated and the dust cleared, Terminus crouched at the base of the mountain, seemingly unharmed.

"Your hope is misplaced. I have all the power I need from this planet."

The giant looked up, shifted to the left, and sprang into the air with enough strength to knock the Sentry off his feet from the shockwave. Quickly, the golden guardian regained his footing, and leapt after his prey.

By the time Sentry was clear of Venus' atmosphere, Terminus was well ahead of him, drifting through space at a surprisingly fast rate. Sentry narrowed his eyes, and burst off at top speed toward Terminus.

Sentry knew from the files he had read that Terminus didn't have a means of propulsion when in space. He had simply shot himself in the direction of the Earth, like a bullet from a gun, hoping to make it there. From what Sentry saw, Terminus was pretty much on the right track. He was headed straight for his home.

Sentry pounded into the creature's back, easily pushing him off course in the vacuum of space. Terminus spun around faster then Sentry had anticipated, clutching the gold warrior with both of his massive hands, beginning to apply twice the pressure from before.

"You have impeded my progress, but eventually I will arrive at my destination. You have failed in your feeble attempts to stop me. Now you shall die, your bones drifting endlessly in the great nothing that is the universe. Terminus is forever."

The pressure put upon the Sentry was so great he couldn't reply. His mind was focused on staying alive. He didn't have the leverage to do anything but barely keep the giant's hands from killing him. His strength was beginning to wane, and his aura…

His aura…

Sentry gritted his teeth and concentrated. He felt his aura grow larger. It slowly crept over Terminus' body, engulfing him. The Sentry could feel his enemy's mind. He felt base emotions like hunger and determination. He felt…evil.

Once his aura spread over Terminus' entire metal hide, Sentry felt a physical connection click into place. That connection became stronger as Sentry concentrated. The connection was locked into place, and Terminus realized what was happening.

Sentry began to pull.

He wasn't pulling the giant in one direction, but two. The Sentry's aura became like an extension of his body, yanking the metal goliath in two separate ways. Terminus' grasp began to loosen. In desperation, Terminus pounded away at the Sentry, but to no avail. The giant was rapidly weakening, while Sentry only pulled harder. Sentry's eyes glowed with the power of a million exploding suns.

A small rupture formed in Terminus' forehead. Light seeped out from the tear, leaving the giant's eyes darkened. The rupture crawled down the middle of Terminus' body, through his face and chest.

With a final heave, Sentry yanked Terminus completely apart from himself, and the two halves immediately began evaporating back into the thermal energy from which they were constructed. There was no final cry of pain, there was no whimper of defeat…there was simply nothing.

---

I'm spent. I have nothing left. I can feel my aura beginning to fade. I won't be able to survive much longer out here in space.

Who will I die as? Once my power fades, I'll become Robert Reynolds again. There's _no_ way he can survive out here.

It's interesting, you know? The things that cross through your mind when you're about to die. In a few moments, I will have passed through Death's door, and the only image that I'm getting in my head is of me and my wife Lindy, eating apples under the tree we picked them from. That was a beautiful day.

Those were really good apples. Those were really good days. Somehow they seemed simpler. I suppose the past always looks simpler then the present. Life just becomes more complicated as it moves along.

I hope that…people judge…me…as a hero…when…

…

---

Robert awoke on a soft mattress attached to a metal wall, with several dark figures hovering over him.

"Wha…where…" he mumbled.

"Shhh. Don't try and speak Robert," said a soft, feminine voice.

Robert's ears perked slightly as he recognized the voice. "Sue?"

"Yes, it's me, Robert. Everything is going to be okay."

"He's fine. In a few minutes, he'll get all golden on us and be perfectly healthy."

Robert recognized the second voice as well. It was hard to mistake Ben Grimm's rocky vocals for anyone else's.

"Nice to see you, too, Ben."

Robert sat up, raising his right hand to try and soothe his pounding headache. Looking around, he saw that somehow he had been brought aboard the Fantastic Four's starship.

"How did I get in here?"

A third voice from further back in the room answered, "Cloc informed us of where you were and what was going on. We were coming back from a mission to Titan when we got the message and arrived just in time for Sue to extend a force-field around you."

Robert looked behind Sue and Ben to see Reed Richards, leader of the Fantastic Four. He smiled.

"I owe you one."

"Nonsense. It's what friends do."

Robert stood up, feeling his strength coming back to him. He closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling his aura becoming visible. He transformed into the Sentry once more, feeling his enormous power returning to him.

"You're the best friend a hero could have."


End file.
